Climate crisis is coming to crush many of world’s best surf breaks, study warns

A surfer rides a tube at Oriente-Salvaje, El Salvador, one of the most at-risk surf breaks in the study. Photograph: Angelo Picardo

The climate crisis is coming for some of the world’s greatest surf breaks, submerging some as sea level rises and wiping out others as classic breaks get crushed against coastal developments.

Analysis of dozens of famous waves in world surfing reserves (WSR) found more than three-quarters were at high risk because of changing tide levels, hardened shorelines and shifting sands.